The explanation for the political process of creating legislation is referred to as watching how sausage is made because it was out of sight to the public. That phrase suggests that legislation involves unpleasant or unseemly ingredients squeezed through the political machine and magically appearing at the end as well-constructed law.  While there may be elements of truth to that description, there are often times when tracking legislation feels more like watching paint dry. The real effort in shepherding legislation often involves a lot of fits and starts that make the process of advocating or opposing legislation difficult and exhausting.